JAY'S POV
The next morning felt heavier than my whole body.
My hands still faintly shook from last night.
Aries kept glancing at me during breakfast, but he didn't ask anything.
Angelo watched me like he knew something was wrong, but respected the silence.
I slipped out of the house quietly, backpack slung over one shoulder.
I just needed fresh air. Needed to breathe.
I had barely stepped beyond the gate when a black car rolled up beside me.
Slowly. Deliberately.
My heart stuttered.
The back window lowered—
Keifer.
Leaning back in the seat, uniform perfect, hair messy in that "I didn't try but still look good" way.
A small smirk tugged at his mouth when our eyes met.
"Morning," he said softly.
I froze for a second.
He opened the door.
"Get in, Jay."
I did.
The inside smelled like his cologne—sharp, clean, familiar enough to make something inside me ache.
He didn't drive immediately.
He just looked at me, checking my face, my posture… like he was making sure I was real.
"You didn't sleep," he murmured.
I looked away. "Neither did you."
He smiled, barely. "Touché."
Then he started driving.
The ride was quiet—not tense, not awkward.
Just… full. Like everything we hadn't said was sitting between us.
A block before school, he stopped the car.
The engine hummed softly.
Students walked past at the end of the street, laughing, complaining, living normal lives.
While I sat in a car with the boy who had broken me, protected me, ruined me, saved me.
He turned to me.
"Jay."
My name in his voice felt too gentle.
I gripped the strap of my bag, knuckles whitening.
"I have to tell you something," I said.
He stilled.
Like the whole world paused with him.
"I…"
My heartbeat thudded painfully.
"I forgive you."
His eyes widened for a split second—like he hadn't expected it.
Like he didn't think he deserved it.
Then his jaw tightened, and he leaned in slightly.
"Jay… don't say it because you think you have to," he whispered.
"I'm saying it because I want to."
My voice wavered. "Because holding onto the anger hurts more."
He shut his eyes, breathing out slowly—relief, guilt, something else tangled in between.
When he opened them again, they were soft. Almost pleading.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "But I'm not done making it up to you."
I swallowed. "I know."
For a few seconds, neither of us moved.
Then he reached out, hesitated—
and brushed a thumb under my eye, almost not touching at all.
"You look tired," he said, voice low. "Rest today. I'll handle whoever tries anything."
I scoffed. "It's just school, Keifer."
"With you," he murmured, "it's never just school."
A stupid, tiny smile tugged at my lips.
He saw it and smirked softly.
"Come on," he said, opening his door. "I'll walk you."
"Keifer, people will see—"
"So?"
I bit back my laugh.
We stepped out, walking together toward school—
not close enough to cause chaos,
but close enough that every step felt like something was stitching slowly, quietly, painfully back together.
The second we stepped out of the car, I felt it.
Eyes.
Whispers.
Shock spreading like wildfire across the school grounds.
Keifer didn't care.
He didn't even pretend to.
He walked around the car, came to my side, and without a pause—
he took my hand.
Firm. Warm. Certain.
I stiffened.He glanced at me.
"You said you forgave me," he murmured.
"So let me do this."
My face heated. "Keifer—"
"Let them talk."
He squeezed my hand. "I'm done hiding."
Great.
Now everyone was staring.
We walked through the gates and the whispers got louder.
"Are they back together?"
"No way—Jay and Keifer?"
"HOLY—someone tell Section E."
"He's holding her hand???"
Keifer didn't flinch.
If anything, his grip tightened, as if anyone looking at us was a threat.
I wanted the ground to swallow me.
We reached the building doors.
And the moment they opened—
Section E was right there.
All of them.
Like a wall of chaos waiting to explode.
Cin froze mid-sip from his juice box.
Eren stopped walking and just stared.
Rory dropped his notebook.
Eman blinked like he was hallucinating.
Blaster: "Bro… BRO… BROOOOO—"
Kit choked. Felix slapped his back.
Drew made the loudest gasp known to mankind.
Mayo actually screamed.
DENZEL: "NAH. NAH. WHAT AM I WITNESSING."
Josh: "SOMEONE CALL DAVID—HE NEEDS TO SEE THIS."
Calix was already recording on his phone.
Edrix: "I TOLD YOU!! I TOLD YOU HE'D COME BACK FOR HER!! PAY UP, EREN!!"
Yuri stared at our hands like it was a crime scene.
Then Cin recovered first.
And he howled.
"OH MY GODDD THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS IN PUBLIC⁉️ IN PUBLIC???? 😭🔥🔥"
Before I could react, they all swarmed us.
ALL OF THEM.
Talking over each other.
Pointing.
Shouting.
Acting like they just saw a celebrity wedding.
Keifer just smirked.
Full smirk.
Smug. Proud. A little possessive.
Cin pointed aggressively at him.
"YOU. YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE."
Keifer shrugged. "What? Can't a guy walk with his girl?"
My soul left my body.
"KEIFER—"
Section E: "OOOOOOOOOH?????"
Blaster threw his backpack in the air.
Eren ran in a circle.
Kit started clapping like a seal.
Felix screamed into his sleeve.
Rory actually cried laughing.
And the worst part?
Keifer just slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
"Relax," he whispered, lips brushing my ear, sending electricity down my spine.
"They were going to find out anyway."
AS IF THAT HELPED.
Cin leaned forward dramatically.
"Jay. Blink twice if he kidnapped you."
I glared so hard he backed away.
Eren put his hand on Keifer's shoulder.
"Welcome back to hell, king."
"Glad to be here," Keifer replied smoothly.
"WITH OUR JAY?" Denzel yelled.
Keifer smirked. "Especially with her."
Section E screamed like fangirls.
I covered my face.
I was never going to hear the end of this.
After class...
The bell rang.
And immediately—
Section E launched.
I could hear them sprinting down the hallway, yelling our names like we owed them money.
But before they could reach us…
A hand wrapped around my wrist.
Firm. Sure. Warm.
Keifer.
He didn't say a word—just pulled me down the corridor, pushed open an empty classroom, dragged me inside—
—and locked the door.
My back hit the wall.
Suddenly he was right there.
Close. Too close.
One hand braced beside my head, the other on my waist, caging me in.
My breath hitched.
His eyes were dark.
Focused.
Hungry.
The kind of look that made my knees weak.
"Jay," he murmured, voice low and rough, "I've been patient. I really have."
His forehead touched mine.
"But I need to ask you something before we walk out there again."
My heart somersaulted.
"…What?" I whispered.
His fingers slid up my waist, slow, deliberate—sending shivers through me.
"Will you…"He swallowed.
"…be my future Mrs. Watson?"
P
My entire brain blue-screened.
I stared at him.
He stared right back, deadly serious.
I choked out a laugh. "Keifer—"
"Say yes." His voice dropped. "I dare you."
I smirked.
"Uh-uh."
His brows rose. "No?"
"No."
I tapped his chest.
"Let's start with me being your girlfriend."
He blinked.
I shrugged, smiling sweetly.
"As for Mrs. Watson…"
I leaned up slightly."…we'll see."
He exhaled sharply—like I'd just punched the air out of him.
Then—
He snapped.hitched.
And then—
He kissed me.
Not soft.Not testing.
Hungry. Desperate. Like he'd been holding himself back for months and just—couldn't anymore.
My lips parted instinctively, and he deepened the kiss instantly, his hand sliding into my hair, holding me exactly where he wanted me.
I gasped against his mouth.
His other hand gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him—no space, no air, just heat and pressure and want.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, fingers digging in, pulling him even closer. He groaned softly into the kiss—God, that sound—
"Jay," he breathed between kisses, "you're gonna kill me."
"Maybe," I whispered against his lips.
He smiled—dangerous, crooked, unbearably soft.
Someone SLAMMED the door from the outside.
"HELLO? WHY IS THIS LOCKED? JAY? KEIFER? WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"
Cin.
Of course it was Cin.
Keifer didn't stop.
If anything, he kissed me deeper, tilting my head slightly to get a better angle.
Another voice.
Eren.
"Bro—are they hooking up? They're hooking up, right?"
Rory: "Jay open this door right now—"
I pulled away just barely, breathless, cheeks burning.
"We have to go," I whispered.
Keifer leaned in and stole one last kiss—slow, claiming, final.
"Fine," he murmured against my lips. "But they're not ready."
I shoved his shoulder lightly, flustered. "Keifer—"
He smirked.
"I'm your boyfriend now. Let me enjoy it."
My face practically combusted.
He took my hand—interlocking our fingers like it was nothing, like he'd done it a thousand times before—and unlocked the door.
The hallway went SILENT.
Section E stood there.
All of them.
Cin's jaw dropped.
Eren fist-pumped.
Rory grinned like a demon.
Felix whispered, "HOLY—"
David just smirked knowingly.
Blaster: "HAH. I KNEW IT."
Someone screamed.
Someone else passed out.
Someone was recording.
Keifer lifted our intertwined hands slightly.
"He's my boyfriend," I said softly before they could explode.
They exploded anyway.
"JAYYYYYYY!"
"FINALLY."
"KNEW IT!"
"ABOUT TIME."
"WATSON'S BLUSHING—LOOK—LOOK AT HIM!"
"IS THIS REAL LIFE?!"
Keifer only smirked and tugged me closer.
And I swear—
The whole hallway went insane.
Walking out of the room — Jay's POV
My lips were still tingling.
We stepped out of the empty classroom like two criminals walking away from a crime scene we very willingly committed.
Keifer kept brushing my fingers with his like he was debating grabbing my hand again… or pulling me right back into that room.
His voice dropped near my ear:
"Jay… if you keep looking at me like that, we're not making it to the next class."
My knees betrayed me for half a second.
"Shut up," I muttered, cheeks burning.
But he smirked — slow, sinful — the kind that said he knew exactly what he did to me.
We rounded the corner—
And Section E pounced.
---
SECTION E INTERROGATION CHAOS
"THERE THEY ARE!!"
Cin's voice shattered the hallway.
Before I could blink, Rory and Eren grabbed both me and Keifer by the sleeves like we were fugitives.
"IN THE ROOM!"
"INTERROGATION TIME!"
"MOVE, WATSON, MOVE!"
"Can we NOT–?!" I half-yelled as they shoved us inside an empty clubroom.
The door slammed behind us.
Keifer stood beside me, straightening his collar like he hadn't been mauled by my mouth two minutes ago.
Section E stared.
Silence.
Then—
"ARE YOU TWO DATING OR WHAT?!"
Blaster yelled it first.
Every voice exploded.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THAT ROOM?"
"WHY IS YOUR LIP SWOLLEN?"
"WHY IS HIS LIP SWOLLEN??"
"WATSON BLINK TWICE IF SHE ATTACKED YOU—"
"I DIDN'T ATTACK ANYONE—!!"
Eren pointed at Keifer's neck.
"Is that a—"
Keifer immediately pulled his collar up.
"That's nothing."
Section E:
"OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I wanted the earth to open and swallow me.
Cin grabbed my shoulders.
"JAY. LITERALLY WHAT IS GOING ON?!"
I opened my mouth—
"Jay forgives me,"
Keifer answered instead, voice calm, annoyingly proud.
The room went feral.
"OH MY GOD—"
"MARRIAGE SOON??"
"NO WONDER HE WALKED IN LIKE HE OWNS HER—"
"HE DOES NOT OWN ME—!!"
Keifer placed a hand on my waist.
The entire room SCREAMED.
Eman actually fell off a chair.
Felix covered his mouth like he witnessed a proposal.
Calix whispered, "She LET him touch her—this is serious."
Aries would've fainted.
Cin grabbed my face dramatically.
"JAY ARE YOU IN LOVE?!"
I sputtered.
"I—WH—NO—SHUT UP—"
Keifer, muttering with zero shame:
"She is."
I WHIPPED AROUND. "KEIFER—!!"
The room EXPLODED AGAIN.
Blaster pointed at us accusingly.
"YOU TWO WERE MAKING OUT."
I choked so hard I almost died.
Keifer didn't even blink.
"…Yes."
"KEIFERRRRRRR—!!" I screeched.
Cin was on the floor screaming into the tiles.
Eren was clapping like this was a telenovela.
Drew high-fived Yuri.
Josh yelled "FINALLY."
Rory leaned against the wall, smirking.
"Took you long enough."
I covered my face.
"Can everyone STOP TALKING LIKE I'M NOT HERE?!"
Keifer slid his hand behind my back and whispered:
"Run?"
I glared at him. "Run."
He grabbed my hand.
And we SPRINTED.
Section E howled and chased us down the hallway like wild dogs.
---
NEXT CLASS — CHAOS CONTINUES
We slipped into the classroom seconds before the stampede arrived.
I was about to collapse into a chair—
Keifer pulled me onto his lap.
ONTO HIS LAP.
"Keifer—!!"
"Sit."
His arms wrapped around my waist lazily, like this was the most normal thing on earth.
"You'll run again if I don't."
My brain malfunctioned.
Someone walked past the open door and gasped.
Keifer leaned closer.
Voice a whisper that melted my spine:
"You said 'girlfriend,' right?"
I swallowed.
"…Yeah."
"Then I'm not letting my girlfriend sit anywhere except right here."
My entire soul left my body.
He rested his chin on my shoulder, breath warm against my neck.
"You smell like me," he murmured.
I nearly combusted.
And then—
Section E arrived outside the door, screaming.
"THEY'RE ALREADY ON EACH OTHER?!"
"IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN TEN MINUTES—"
"WATSON YOU MENACE—LET HER BREATHE—"
"JAY BLINK IF YOU NEED HELP—"
Keifer tightened his arms around me.
"She's fine."
I smacked him lightly. "DON'T ANSWER FOR ME—"
He kissed my cheek.
I froze.
Outside the door—
A unified demonic scream: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
Aries POV — Walking Into Hell
I was just looking for Jay.
That's it.
One normal morning, one normal walk down the hallway with ella , minding my own business, trying to keep my sanity intact.
And then I heard screaming.
Not normal screaming.
SECTION E screaming.
Which meant trouble.
I quickened my pace.
Turned the corner.
And immediately regretted being born.
Because there — inside the classroom with the door not even fully closed —
Jay. On Keifer Watson's lap.
His arms around her waist.
His mouth on her cheek.
I froze.
Jay froze.
Keifer did NOT freeze.
He just looked at me dead in the eyes like:
Yeah. And?
Section E outside the door whispered like sinners watching a holy war.
Rory: "Is that… Aries?"
Cin: "Oh he is SO gonna kill him."
Eren: "This is better than Netflix."
Felix: "Should we run?"
Denzel: "No. I want front-row seats to the murder."
I stepped inside.
Slowly.
Silently.
Like a storm walking on two legs.
Jay scrambled off his lap so fast she tripped over a chair.
"ARIES— I— HI— IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—"
I pointed at her.
"Jay."
Voice steady. Calm. Too calm.
"Get over here."
She squeaked—actually squeaked—and ran to my side, clutching my arm like a guilty toddler.
Keifer stood up, shoulders squared, jaw clenched. Not scared.
Which somehow made me more irritated.
I stared him down.
"You."
He didn't flinch.
"Yes."
"You had my sister—"
Jay: "ARIES STOP—"
"—on your lap."
Keifer opened his mouth.
Cin whispered loudly,
"Say something stupid. I dare you."
Keifer ignored her.
His eyes stayed on me.
Steady. Calm. Bold.
"She's my girlfriend."
Jay slapped a hand over his mouth.
"KEIFER— WHY WOULD YOU JUST—"
Section E:
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then slowly turned to Jay.
She looked up at me with the most terrified, guilty, please-don't-kill-him-I-kind-of-love-him face I had ever seen.
"…Horoscope," she whispered, voice tiny.
I sighed.
Long. Exhausted. Too old for this.
"Jay," I said quietly.
She held her breath.
"I am still not happy about this."
Her face fell.
"But—"
I continued.
Her head snapped up.
"—if he makes you cry again, I will bury him alive."
Section E screamed.
Blaster: "THAT'S FAIR."
Eren: "I want to help bury him."
Felix: "LET ME DIG THE HOLE—"
Cin: "SHUT UP YOU GREMLINS."
Jay grabbed my arm, shook me.
"HOROSCOPEEE STOP THREATENING MY BOYFRIEND."
Keifer actually smiled.
A small, real smile.
"I accept the terms," he said simply.
I raised a brow.
"You accept me burying you alive?"
"If it means I get to be with her," he replied.
Jay turned bright red.
Section E short-circuited.
Eren: "BRO SAID THAT SO CASUALLY—"
Felix: "ROMANCE LEVEL 100—"
Drew: sniffing dramatically "my heart…"
I rubbed my face.
"God help me… you two are unbelievable."
Jay hugged me suddenly.
Tight. Quick. Real.
"Thank you," she whispered.
I softened just a little.
Then I pointed at Keifer again.
"One wrong move, Watson. One."
He nodded. Serious.
"I know."
Cin burst into laughter.
"HE LOOKS LIKE HE JUST SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH SATAN—"
Aries:
"That is correct."
Jay groaned, burying her face in her hands.
Keifer stepped beside her and quietly took her hand.
She didn't pull away.
I saw that.
I didn't comment.
I just exhaled and muttered,
"Let's hope I don't have to kill anyone today."
Section E cheered like this was the best reality TV episode they'd ever seen....
---
Jay's POV
The drive home was… dangerous.
Keifer's hand was on my thigh the entire time, stroking circles like he knew exactly what it did to me. And when he parked in front of the Fernandez gate, he didn't even give me the chance to unbuckle.
He pulled me onto his lap — one smooth tug and I was straddling him.
"Keifer—"
"Let me please I beg you.. ," he murmured against my mouth, and then he kissed me like he'd been deprived of air for years and I was oxygen.
It was hungry. Raw.
His fingers slid under my shirt.
My nails scratched the back of his neck.
The windows fogged instantly.
I could feel him smile against my lips, breath uneven.
"If you keep doing that," he whispered, "I swear I'll take you right here."
I laughed — breathless, flushed, ruined.
"Your fault."
He kissed me again, deeper, thumb on my jaw, and I melted into him until even thinking hurt.
Finally, after a full minute of pure heat, he rested his forehead on mine.
"You need to go Jay ," he said softly. "Before I forget how to be decent."
I rolled my eyes, still dazed, grabbed my bag, and stepped out of the car—
And instantly froze.
Because Angelo was standing by the gate.
Arms crossed.
Jaw clenched.
Eyes full of murder.
He didn't say a word.
Didn't need to.
The veins in his neck told me enough.
Behind me, Keifer leaned out the driver's window, completely unbothered.
"Bye, baby," he called, playful.
Angelo's eye twitched.
I swallowed.
"Oh… fuck."